Darkness Below
by RC-1499
Summary: A force sensitive adolescent discovers his powers in the underbelly of Coruscant. Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated.
1. Prologue

"And, Stay down!" The armored assailant yells over the roar of the Coruscant underworld. Crimson blood pools around the old mans head, soaking into the the weathered walkway. His shoulder is charred where A blaster bolt found its mark, and he bleeds out of multiple knife wounds. His nose is broken where A solid kick hit it. A group of the low lives circle him like birds, picking at the scraps. His few possessions, gone. The old man, looks up, makes a muted motion with his hand, and falls back into the pool of blood. A thug kicks him in the side. No movement. The birds, done picking with their meal, retreat to their speeders. After they are gone, the only sign that they were ever there, is an old man in a brown robe, laying dead in the walkway.

Thump! Step, Step. Thump! Step, Step. Thump!

Nole Outlander walks slowly through the streets. The pounding in the back of his head, never ceasing to annoy him. He finds himself walking down an empty side street overlooking the speeder lanes. Everything has become a blur. The only constant, the thumping in the far reaches of his mind. Everything is dusty and decaying. A dense layer of filth fills the air. Little light reaches down into this part of the city planet. What little does, only makes the dust and decay more prominent. Each step he takes labors through the air until it hits the ground.

Thump! Step, Step. Thump! Step, Step. Thump!

He vision blurs even more. All he knows is that what he's looking for, whatever it may be, is ahead. A dark blob appears on the walkway. The shapes and colors muddle, becoming more and more clear as he approaches. He picks out A host of shapes. A circle, and A rough rectangle. "A head and body" Nole thinks, picking out the legs and feet in the blur. Around the figure, A substance pools. Now, he can pick out individual details. The liquid appears to be originating from the person. Blood, he realizes. The mans disfigured nose. The tears and rips in his once clean, brown robe. The charred area surrounding the majority of his shoulder. The thumping increases in his head.

Thump! Step. Thump! Step. Thump! Step. Thump!

The blood now pools around the fabric Nole uses for shoes. The life of the man bleeds through and makes contact with his feet. Cold as ice, it sends a shiver up his spine. The gruesome scene before him does not disturb Nole. Murders, robberies, and rapes are common in the lower levels. Just another person in the wrong place at the wrong time. The mans hand lays at an angle that makes a small gesture towards the buildings that lay along the walkway. The thumping increases to a fever pitch.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

He turns, looking toward the wall. Nothing stands out. He leans down on one knee. Nothing stands out. He lays on his stomach. Nothing stands out. A speeder passes overhead, and A piece of polished metal glints from inside A cracked open maintenance hatch at the base of the walkway. He tries to clear his head, to push the thumping away. Reaching inside, he uses his back legs to force more and more of his arm inside. His fingers brush along a smooth cylinder. He pushed harder, grabbing the object and pulling out of the hatch. The thumping returns, louder and at the forefront of his mind.

THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP!THUMP

He fingers brush over the cool metal, picking out each feature by touch. At one end, A cap. At the other, what feels like an emitter of some sort. Near the middle, A button he assumes is the activator. He weighs it in his hands. Heavy. The object is oversized in his hands. Orientating it so the emitter is facing out, he thumbs the activator...

Snap-Hiss...


	2. Chapter 1

The old, run down, building in the Coruscant underworld flickers with A dull illumination. Inside, A sole glow lamp sits in the middle of the floor. The pale light washes over the sparse furnishings. A chair, picture, a few chipped cups. A muffled _thump _sounds as the ball bounces on the floor. It bounces once more, then rolls sideways. The ball rumbles and shakes and finally slowly levitates into the air, only to fall once more. Nole sits propped against the back wall, practicing the exercise. A sigh sounds from his lips as he ruffles his hair in a display of stress. Practicing the exercise dulls the boys senses, blurring the surroundings till all he can see is the ball. He blinks once, twice, then slowly leans into the wall. Giving into his exhaustion, darkness overwhelms the senses as sleep overtakes him.

_Floating..._

_Flying..._

_Clouds against a blue sky. Shifting, shaping, molding into shapes. I am one with the sky._

_Peace..._

The boy wakes up, startled. Taking A deep breath, he examines the surroundings. His ball lays in still on the floor, were it has settled the night before. Light streams through the window, bathing the building in the dull light that reached the under city. Something brushes his hair. Looking up, startled, the roof greets him. Beneath him, seven feet of air. Realization hits him moments before the ground does.

"This place smells like bantha dung." The padawan comments, noticing the putrid surroundings that she finds herself in.

Hours earlier, Jedi Knight Thion Joruic and his padawan, Shaye Triald, had been called to investigate a report of an old Jedi Knight being ambushed and killed in the lower levels. With each level they took into the planet, the area became bleaker and bleaker. Nightclubs and Bars dotted the area, followed by rusting buildings and deserted walkways. There, they landed and set out on foot to the site of the reported murder.

"Be mindful. Some of the Coruscant residents call this area their home." The Jedi replies.

"I can't see how. I'd be wary of even stepping into these buildings., They look like they'll break any minute" She eyes the building warily.

The duo wander the streets. They move from the main speederway to a side street. The area becomes bleaker the farther away they get. Dust and grime fill the air. The walkway becomes soft under their feet. Some of the buildings are crumbling under their own weight.

"Up ahead" Thion points in the direction of another side street.

They turn into the indicated street and almost immediately see the cloud of insects hovering above A shape on the ground. Dried blood covers the area around the dead man. His eyes stare blankly up at the levels above. The smell of decay is heavy in the area. Master and apprentice approach the gruesome scene. Hovering outside the circle of blood, the two assess the situation.

"This blood has been here for days. It seems the report we received was correct." Thion comments.

He gently reaches down and examines the old wounds. His nose has been twisted sideways, broken. Shoulder, charred by A blaster. Knife wounds riddle the old mans body. His arm is twisted at an angle, towards a small, open maintenance hatch.

"Master. Look." two small patches near the edge of the blood circle are blotched. Faint blood patches dot the area, then return down the walkway.

"Follow the prints. We might find the killer."


	3. Chapter 2

The jedi walk briskly down the street, hoping to follow the tracks to the killers location. The red prints start out heavy, with life sustaining liquid leaking and seeping into the walkway. As they move on, they start to fade until only a faint outline remains. They pass by the remains of shops and homes, rust and decay imbedded into their foundations. No one crosses their path.

"If there's anyone here, they're keeping to themselves." Shaye comments.

"Not everyone sees the jedi as guardians of light. Some think of us as glorified police." her master replies.

A shadow ducks into an abandoned storefront on the other side of the alley. The faint blood tracks start to disappear, only to enter a nondescript building. The team look at each other. In unison, they nod and position themselves to wither side of the door. An odder wafts through the half open door. A mix of dust and decay that is present on almost all buildings on this level.

Almost silently, they count down...

_1..._

_2..._

_3..._

* * *

He sensed them long before they arrived. Figures clad in brown robes, like the dead man wore. Nole looked at the cylinder he held. _"Run, Fight, or Hide." _He thought. Quickly, he ran to the corner near the door. And, that's were he stays until the two figure burst into the small building, swords in their hands. The glowing blades cast shadows in the dark room. On the floor, lay his ball and a half eaten protein bar. They look around at their surroundings. After what seems like an eternity, they turn their swords off.

* * *

"I thought we had him!" She says, almost yells, angrily.

Something, almost a breeze, brushes against her back. Something quickly reaches around to her head. A metal object pushes into the soft flesh under her jaw.

"I don't know who you are, or why this little cylinder is so important to you, but, it doesn't matter now."

Holding in a scream, she tries hard not to move her head, looking at an angle towards the ceiling.

"Calm down. There is no need to do something rash..." She can hear her master, trying to calm the assailant.

"I won't. If you do the same in return. Now, move towards the back wall."

A slight rustle, and her master appears in front of her, slightly in her vision. Another hand grabs tightly at her waist. The breathing behind her grows ragged. Stressed. The hands start to maneuver her towards the doorway, her facing her master. Pale light touches them as they walk slowly through the entrance way. She tries to get a message across, her eyes pleading for help. A **YANK**, and she's being pushed along at a run, the hands not slacking from her. They make a left turn, then a right, then another left, then into another alleyway. Try as she might, the directions start to lose her. Finally, after being shunted through a crawlspace, they reach their destination. A small area nestled in between a box of buildings. The hand releases from her waists and starts to fumble inside her cloak. She feels the metal object that is her lightsaber detach from her waist.

"Sit" The voice commands.

She does so, sitting cross legged. The lightsaber is removed from her chin. Her assailant almost falls over in front of her, breathing heavily. All of her thoughts on her captor vanish as she sees the scrawny 15 year old kid lie on the ground.


End file.
